As Melbourne enters the strictest lockdown the nation has seen since COVID-19 first emerged into the country (and Sydney is gearing up for a second wave), we're beginning to strap back in for another couple of months at home.

This is a trying and tragic time for many who are physically affected. Mental health-wise, it's not getting any easier either. It feels as though we've exhausted almost every option of home activities in the past three months, but as another lockdown approaches/is upon us, it's time to get creative. Below are some restriction-pending isolation activities to try as we enter this next phase.

Try Ceramics

A deeply cathartic and therapeutic practice, getting creative with your hands can be a release for the mind and body. Back in April, we spoke with Rachel Saunders about the easiest way to get into clay at home.

Host an intimate dinner party

If you're in a state where restrictions are more relaxed and have a group of friends you trust have been staying safe, a small dinner party is the perfect weekend activity to charge your social battery while staying off the streets. It's important to support local during this time, so if cooking is not for you, order in from one of your favourite restaurants and make like it's just come out of the kitchen.

Get into Zoom trivia

As much as Zoom haunts most of us at this point, Zoom trivia can be a fun way to connect with friends while actually engaging in a stimulating activity rather than having the deathly 'Zoom wine', take turns with your pals preparing questions or source them off the web, and get nerdy.

Start a vegetable garden

It's almost spring, and I'm personally not sure if there is anything better than homegrown vegetables. If you have space/sun, go nuts on the Bunnings website and try your hand at nurturing your own seedlings. If you live in the city, getting your hands in some soil, caring for your vegetables and watching them grow can be oh-so soothing. For a cost-effective option, you can purchase seeds, generic potting mix and some pots for a total of around $30. The joy they bring upon sprouting is priceless.

Move in creative ways

I will never be the one to tell you to 'get active' because that kind of unsolicited advice is what I spend most of my time on the internet trying to avoid. What I will say, is that finding new, actually fun ways to move about can be joyful and useful. Suggestions include: roller skating, interpretive dance, boxing with a partner/housemate.

Image credit: @fashiiongonerogue